Satellites today are launched via booster rocket from a limited number of ground facilities, which can involve a month or longer of preparation for a small payload and significant cost for each mission. DARPA’s Airborne Launch Assist Space Access program (ALASA) seeks to propel 100-pound satellites into low Earth orbit within 24 hours of call-up, for less than $1 million per launch. The current ALASA design envisions launching a low-cost, expendable launch vehicle from conventional aircraft....

Wireless Sensor System to Detect Leaks on the International Space Station

|video|369 views

Leaks causing air and heat loss are a major safety concern for astronauts. University of Maine researchers are designing and testing a wireless leak detection system for the International Space Station (ISS) that could lead to increased safety on the ISS and for other space activities by helping astronauts and scientists quickly isolate and repair damage that affects pressurized environments. Their project was one of five in the nation to receive funding from NASA’s Experimental Program to...

The microwave radiometer on NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite was designed and built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Along with the microwave radar, data from the radiometer will be used to calculate the water content of Earth's soil. Instrument Scientist Jeff Piepmeier explains the technology that Goddard incorporated in the radiometer. All types of soil emit microwave radiation, but the amount of water changes how much of this energy is emitted. The drier the soil,...

Eta Carinae is a binary system that comprises two massive stars whose eccentric orbits bring them unusually close every 5.5 years. New 3D models reveal never-before-seen features of the stars' interactions.